1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transflective display device and, particularly, to a transflective flat panel display (FPD) device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Conventional FPD devices are generally classified into reflective devices and transmissive devices. A transmissive FPD device displays an image by using light emitted from a backlight source, and a reflective FPD displays an image by using ambient light.
A transmissive FPD device is capable of producing a bright image with a high contrast ratio without being substantially influenced by the brightness of the environment, but such a device consumes a lot of power due to the backlight. Moreover, a transmissive FPD device has a poor visibility under very bright environments (e.g., when used outdoor under a clear sky).
On the other hand, a reflective FPD device consumes little power, but the brightness and the contrast ratio thereof are liable to be influenced by the conditions under which it is used, e.g., the brightness of the environment. Particularly, the visibility lowers significantly under dark environments.
In order to overcome these problems, transflective FPD devices, which are capable of operating both in a reflection mode and in a transmission mode, have been proposed in the art.
A conventional transflective FPD devices typically employs a transflective layer having a typical so-called multi-gap structure. The multi-gap structure is composed of a plurality of reflective means distributed separately, each two of which defines a transmissive gap therebetween. The reflective means are adapted for taking advantages of ambient light, while the gaps are adapted for allowing backlight passage therethrough. However, since parts of the transflective layer are transmissive and the others are not, a conventional transflective FPD usually has no way to give better attention to its transmission ability and its reflection ability. Furthermore, the above-mentioned multi-gap structure is generally disposed above a liquid crystal layer and a color filter layer. As a result, an FPD device having such a configuration typically cannot provide a satisfactory color saturation.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is to provide a transflective FPD device giving better attention to its transmission ability and its reflection ability and having a satisfactory color saturation.